# Gcloud CLI

> Auth/lab ref: Google Cloud CLI for authenticating, configuring projects, and enumerating GCP resources from the terminal.

- Skill: `aeondave/gcloud-cli` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aeondave/gcloud-cli`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aeondave/gcloud-cli/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: AeonDave (https://skillmd.com/u/aeondave)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aeondave/gcloud-cli

---


# gcloud CLI

Project-aware cloud enumeration for GCP from a shell instead of a tab maze.

## When to use gcloud CLI

Use gcloud when you need to:

- inspect the active account, project, and configuration quickly
- list compute, IAM, and storage resources in a target project
- script GCP recon or validation steps in a reproducible way

## Quick Start

```bash
# Check auth and config
gcloud auth list
gcloud config list

# Enumerate projects and compute instances
gcloud projects list
gcloud compute instances list --project my-project
```

## High-Value Workflows

### Project and identity sanity

```bash
gcloud auth list
gcloud config get-value project
gcloud projects list
```

### Common resource enumeration

```bash
gcloud compute instances list --project my-project
gcloud iam service-accounts list --project my-project
gcloud storage ls
```

### Structured output

```bash
gcloud compute instances list --project my-project --format=json
gcloud projects list --format="table(projectId,name,projectNumber)"
```

## Practical Notes

- Always know which project is active before trusting the output.
- Prefer `--project` in scripts, even if a default project is configured.
- `gcloud storage ls` is a useful first pass for bucket visibility in modern CLI workflows.

## Caveats

- Cross-project visibility depends heavily on the bound identity and active credentials.
- Some service coverage and examples moved over time; prefer current official docs over older blog syntax.
- Empty output often means wrong project or auth context, not absence of resources.

## Resources

No bundled `scripts/`, `references/`, or `assets/`.
Use Google's official gcloud documentation for install, auth flows, and service command groups.